This volume surveys the life and work of the Scottish poet Ian Hamilton Finlay, who is best known for his extraordinary garden, Little Sparta, a unique “poem of place” in which poetry, sculpture, and horticulture intersect. This book directs sustained attention to Finlay the verbal artist, revealing the full breadth and richness of his poetics. It illuminates the evolution from his early years of composing plays, stories, and lyrical poems to his discovery of Concrete poetry and his emergence as a key figure in the international avant-garde of the 1960s. “A hugely enjoyable anthology of Finlay’s writings, in prose, and truly beautiful―especially when surreal―verse.” -- Andrew McNeillie ― Country Life Published On: 2012-08-01 “Almost wherever Finlay leads us, in verse, prose, or garden, there is a pervasive wit and invention of great brilliance in evidence. . . . Finlay’s son Alec has edited together and introduced a hugely enjoyable anthology of Finlay’s writings, in prose, and truly beautiful―especially when surreal―verse. We should all be grateful to him.” -- Andrew McNeillie ― Country Life Published On: 2012-08-01 “[Finlay's] temples are mock-historic edifices, but who are we to say that they are not sacred sites?” ― Booktryst Published On: 2012-11-27 “This welcome new volume, Selections, ranging from Finlay’s first stories and plays to his final inscriptions and aphorisms, reminds us that most of his career consisted of unilateral declarations of independence, in a territory staked out by his own definitions and designs. It is full of revelations that cast new light on the subject―notably in the sixty-page introduction by Alec Finlay, the author’s son. His portrait of his father . . . manages to sound objective as well as affectionate. He clarifies the poet’s debts to international and avant-garde movements, but invites us to recognize the irreducible Scottishness of his character and inspiration.” -- Gerald Mangan ― Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Published On: 2012-06-08 “This welcome new volume . . . is full of revelations that cast new light on the subject.” -- Gerald Mangan ― Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Published On: 2012-06-08 "Scottish poet Ian Hmilton is one of the most influential artists of the late twentieth century... [ Ian Hamilton Finlay:  Selections ] is an essential purchase for anyone interested in the poetry of the second half of the twentieth century... it's a delight." -- Alison Croggon ― Oyster Boy Review Published On: 2015-10-01 “A hugely enjoyable anthology of Finlay’s writings, in prose, and truly beautiful―especially when surreal―verse.” -- Andrew McNeillie ― Country Life Published On: 2012-08-01 “Almost wherever Finlay leads us, in verse, prose, or garden, there is a pervasive wit and invention of great brilliance in evidence. . . . Finlay’s son Alec has edited together and introduced a hugely enjoyable anthology of Finlay’s writings, in prose, and truly beautiful―especially when surreal―verse. We should all be grateful to him.” -- Andrew McNeillie ― Country Life Published On: 2012-08-01 “[Finlay's] temples are mock-historic edifices, but who are we to say that they are not sacred sites?” ― Booktryst Published On: 2012-11-27 “This welcome new volume, Selections, ranging from Finlay’s first stories and plays to his final inscriptions and aphorisms, reminds us that most of his career consisted of unilateral declarations of independence, in a territory staked out by his own definitions and designs. It is full of revelations that cast new light on the subject―notably in the sixty-page introduction by Alec Finlay, the author’s son. His portrait of his father . . . manages to sound objective as well as affectionate. He clarifies the poet’s debts to international and avant-garde movements, but invites us to recognize the irreducible Scottishness of his character and inspiration.” -- Gerald Mangan ― Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Published On: 2012-06-08 “This welcome new volume . . . is full of revelations that cast new light on the subject.” -- Gerald Mangan ― Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Published On: 2012-06-08 "Scottish poet Ian Hmilton is one of the most influential artists of the late twentieth century... [ Ian Hamilton Finlay:  Selections ] is an essential purchase for anyone interested in the poetry of the second half of the twentieth century... it's a delight." -- Alison Croggon ― Oyster Boy Review Published On: 2015-10-01 The Scottish concrete poet, visual artist, short story writer, aphorist, editor, and avant-gardener Ian Hamilton Finlay is one of the great polymaths of our time. His writings alone would put him in the pantheon of twentieth century poets. Finlay s son Alec, himself a poet, has now given us a selection of his father s writings, beautifully edited and annotated, lavishly illustrated, and with a superb new introduction to the work. I consider this book, long overdue, to be a milestone in publishing. Marjorie Perloff,